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Recommendation 1944 (2010) Final version

The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Author(s): Parliamentary Assembly

Origin - Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 12 November 2010 (see Doc. 12422, report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, rapporteur: Mr Berényí).

1. Referring to its Resolution 1770 (2010) on the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, as well as to Resolution 1769 (2010) and Recommendation 1943 (2010) on strengthening measures to protect and revive highly endangered languages, the Parliamentary Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
1.1. enhance efforts aimed at the speedy ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (the charter, ETS No. 148) by the member states that have not yet done so;
1.2. pursue co-operation with other international organisations, in particular the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with a view to promoting the ratification of the charter, its proper implementation and the consolidation of common standards on the protection of regional or minority languages.
2. Moreover, recalling the need to ensure the proper implementation of the charter, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
2.1. take the necessary measures to ensure that information of relevance to the implementation of the charter is submitted by states parties in good time;
2.2. take the necessary measures to facilitate as far as possible the monitoring work of the Committee of Experts of the charter, in particular by reinforcing as a matter of priority the relatively modest resources of its secretariat;
2.3. ensure availability of relevant information on the charter and good practices in its implementation in both official and regional or minority languages;
2.4. disseminate relevant information on the implementation of the charter, such as the periodical state reports and the evaluation reports of the Committee of Experts of the charter, as broadly as possible and in a timely fashion;
2.5. consider setting up a panel of experts in language promotion that could help authorities and users of regional or minority languages to find workable solutions; this service could also be made available to states that have not yet ratified the charter;
2.6. ensure the harmonious application of the standards provided by the charter and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (ETS No. 157), in particular by fostering collaboration between the latter’s Advisory Committee and the Committee of Experts of the charter.